SalaryExplorer

SOC 11-9121 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Natural Sciences Managers — Columbus

Columbus, OH · 5 metro areas compared

$138,110 /year
$66.40per hour
300jobs in area
−17.4%vs US median

The median wage for Natural Sciences Managers in Columbus, OH is $138,110 per year, 17.4% below the national median of $167,220.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $167,22010TH$84,030MEDIAN$138,11075TH$166,46090TH$217,760

How pay has moved

$146,993$93,6982019202020212022202320242025$138,110
$116,600 in 2019 to $138,110 in 2025, +18.4% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+3.7%
Openings per year
8,500
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
Related work experience
5 years or more

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Columbus, OH.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Natural Sciences Managers in Columbus, OH is $138,110 per year, 17.4% below the national median of $167,220. Pay ranges from under $84,030 at the tenth percentile to more than $217,760 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $126,010 to $166,460.

Employment stands at 300, or 0.3 jobs per thousand held locally. Cincinnati leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $164,300. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 23rd of 611 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Columbus, OH · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$84,030−49.7%
25th$126,010−24.6%
Median (50th)$138,110−17.4%
75th$166,460−0.5%
90th$217,760+30.2%
Mean$152,320−8.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Ohio

Median annual wage for Natural Sciences Managers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Cincinnati$164,300520
2Dayton$134,800100
3Cleveland$130,470160
4Akron$128,39070
5Toledo$88,75050

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Columbus run 4.5% below the national average, so the median of $138,110 goes as far as $144,618 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 13.5% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$138,110as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$144,618US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $138,110 a year, 17.4% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $84,030 to $217,760 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 300 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Cincinnati, at $164,300.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Natural Sciences Managers in Columbus, OH?

The median annual wage is $138,110, or $66.40 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $167,220, so pay in Columbus, OH is 17.4% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Columbus, OH earns more than $217,760 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $84,030 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Cincinnati, at $164,300 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 300 jobs in this occupation in Columbus, OH. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.